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The NFL is back for Week 5 as we move through the quarter mark of the 2023 regular season. We didn’t see much in the way of upsets last week, although it wasn’t exactly a sedate week. The Broncos rallied from 21 down to beat the Bears, the Vikings held off a game Panthers squad, and the Eagles needed overtime to beat the Commanders.
It wasn’t a bad week for Survivor pools, but we saw enough upsets to shake things up a bit. If you’re looking to join a second-chance Survivor pool, there’s still time at DraftKings Sportsbook. If you’ve never played in an NFL Survivor pool, it’s a simple game. You pick one team each week that you think will win. If your team loses in a given week, you’re eliminated (unless it’s a double elimination pool). If your team wins in that week, you can make a pick in the following week. That continues until there is one survivor (or a tie at the end of Week 18). The catch is that you cannot pick the same team twice during the contest.
I’m alive in some pools and eliminated in others. Last week, I recommended the 49ers and Chiefs as safe choices, the Cowboys as maybe a value pick, and the Eagles and Chargers as trap picks. The Chiefs held off a game Jets squad, but the Eagles and Chargers almost ended up costing Survivor participants. On to this week’s picks!
Safest picks
Dolphins over Giants
Lions over Panthers
Miami is going to be a hugely popular pick this week, but don’t forget they host the Panthers next week and the Raiders in Week 11. The Lions are double-digit favorites over the Panthers, but might be worth saving for Week 8 vs. the Raiders
Best value picks
Commanders over Bears
The Bears are awful and will be picked against in a lot of Survivor pools moving forward. The Commanders don’t have any remaining games worth using them, so if you still have them, it’s worth the short week pick.
Trap pick
The Bills are rolling and could easily crush the Jaguars. But Jacksonville got their win last week and maybe are ready to get back on track. And don’t forget the Jaguars have gotten used to the time change in London having played their last week.